The Vacant Prince
by jjgp1112
Summary: Once the privileged heir to the Saiyan throne, a young Vegeta has learned that his home planet and his race has been destroyed in a collision with a meteor, leaving him with nothing but a miserable life as the puppet of a tyrant he despises.
1. Homeless

**Yeah, yeah, I know Dragon Ball Minus kinda contradicts some of the things in this, but to hell with that story. It's ridden with enough plot holes and retcons that I can disregard its existence if I want to! :p Oh, and Dragon Ball isn't mine, and all of that good stuff.  
**

* * *

Vegeta sat in his pod, gazing at the black emptiness of space with indifference. This was despite having heard news a few hours ago that would change his entire life as he knew it. It was definitely a surprise when Nappa informed him on his scouter, the message still fresh on his mind:

"_We've just received a transmission from Lord Frieza – i-it seems as though Planet Vegeta has been destroyed! It was apparently struck by a giant meteor. Including you and me, there are barely any Saiyans left."_

The five-year old Saiyan Prince snorted in disgust at the clear dismay in Nappa's voice when he informed him. There was a mix of emotions swirling in his head in the few hours since hearing the news, but the strongest of them all was revulsion. The Saiyans were a warrior race, the strongest in the cosmos. For centuries, they produced death and destruction all across the universe, inspiring terror across planets light years away at the mere mention of their name. And this was how they went out? Not fighting, not killed in a failed hostile takeover (which would at least be admirable), but instead, nature simply taking its course. How appalling, it was.

Nappa hadn't told him who the other surviving Saiyans were, though considering Frieza had sent him a transmission prior to him going in his pod to report to the Home Base, that was probably information he'd be learning soon. _Too hell with the fate of the race_, Vegeta thought, _What I really want to know is when that freak will start giving me better assignments._

A voice deep in the corridors of Vegeta's mind, however, couldn't help but lament the loss of his home.

A few hours later Vegeta's pod crashed into the surface of the latest planet Frieza had chosen as his home base. The door to his space pod opened, and there was already a short, purple alien awaiting his arrival. "Greetings, Vegeta," he said.

Vegeta glared at the man for failing to address him as "Prince." The red cape he was wearing and the royal crest on the left chest plate of his armor were his symbols of royalty, and everyone in Frieza's army addressed him with the respect that it earned. The alien simply gave Vegeta a look of confusion. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at him, and despite his age and diminutive size, the sharpness of his glare was enough to make the alien direct his eyes to the ground. Vegeta shook his head and walked away, making silent note of his error.

The pint-sized Prince walked into the white building. The first person he saw was the tall, muscular man in armor who had served as his bodyguard for as long as he remembered – Nappa. "Gr-Greetings, Prince," he said with a nod of respect.

Vegeta replied with a grunt. He was about to open his mouth to admonish Nappa sadness he was carrying in his eyes until he saw the boy standing next to him. He was wearing armor as well, and his long, spiky hair and tanned skin were enough clues for Vegeta to realize who it was.

"Raditz," Vegeta tersely said. The other Saiyan stirred and then nodded his head respectfully, mimicking Nappa. Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Figures that of all the people who managed to miss the explosion, it'd be a third-class warrior."

Raditz dropped his head in shame, but he knew better than to respond to Vegeta's harsh words. Though he was a few years older than him, Raditz knew that Vegeta had utmost authority over him, and had already accumulated quite the body count in his five years.

"What are we here for, Nappa?" Vegeta asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"We're all being reassigned," Nappa informed. "As far as we know, the three of us are the only Saiyans still alive, and there are a lot of planet assignments left on the table. We're…the only ones left-"

"Nappa!" Vegeta harshly shouted, startling the eldest warrior. "You are a Saiyan! Cease your anxious stammering at once! Our planet is gone, and fretting on it will not bring it back."

Nappa was genuinely surprised at the cold indifference in Vegeta's eyes. The young prince was known for his tunnel vision, as he had been single-mindedly focused on gaining power since Frieza took him in a year ago. His people, his planet, and the civilization he was destined to rule over was gone, and he thought of it as nothing more than an inconvenience.

A tall, elegant man with pale, blue skin and green hair approached the three Saiyans. He was doing a poor job of hiding the smirk on his face, which made Vegeta jaw involuntarily twitch. "Frieza's ready to speak with you all. Follow me."

"Yes, Zarbon," the three Saiyans said in unison. Zarbon walked down the hallway, with the three last remaining Saiyans following him. They stopped at a large, metal door, and Zarbon placed his hand on a scanner stuck to the wall next to it. The door slid open, revealing a dark, blue room with a marble floor that felt like ice against Vegeta's feet. The Prince bit his bottom lip, his body shivering more than he would like to admit. Truth be told, he had no idea what was about to happen. Frieza didn't make his disdain for the Saiyans a secret; for all Vegeta knew, he was marching to his death right now.

In front of the Saiyans was Dodoria, the ugly pink monster that served as one of Frieza's top assistants. He was standing to the right of a floating chair shaped like a pod. Zarbon walked over to occupy its left. Sitting in the chair was the lizard-like leader himself, scanning the Saiyans with his frightening eyes while nonchalantly sipping a cup of wine.

The three Saiyans immediately crouched onto one knee and bowed their head in respect, which made Frieza chuckle. He handed his wine over to Zarbon. "Why the long faces, men? You look like somebody just died!"

Vegeta winced, trying to control the intense hatred he felt for his master. That throaty, refined voice was like a screw twisting itself against Vegeta's ear drum, making it sting violently in the process. It alone was enough for him to resolve to become strong enough to kill him since the day they'd first met.

"Sorry about that; sometimes I just can't control my sense of humor!" Frieza snickered. He reigned his laughter in, though his smile never left his face. "But in all seriousness, my sincerest apologies for the destruction of your home planet. A true tragedy, thought it also speaks to the unpredictability of life. One incident of nature and everything's gone!"

Vegeta somehow managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He kept all of his senses on alert, feeling like he was on thinner ice than he'd ever been before. One disrespectful slip and Frieza might have disposed of him once and for all.

"We're still conducting a search across the galaxies, but as far as we know, you three are the only Saiyans still alive. I suppose you should all thank fate for smiling upon you," Frieza informed with a grin that made all three Saiyans' skin crawl. "Now then, I'm sure you three are thinking that the loss of the rest of the monkey pack has left droves of planets on the table, but fortunately, I hadn't given any other Saiyans assignments recently."

Vegeta nodded at the news, though he couldn't hide his disappointment. He was hoping he would be assigned with leftover missions to fill in the gaps.

Frieza's grin grew downright sinister as he added, "I guess fate worked its way out for me as well, in order to prevent any inconveniences."

Vegeta grunted, chalking that last bit up to the tyrant's typical morbid sense of humor, unsuspecting of what he'd learn decades later. "M'lord, what will we do now, then?" he anxiously asked.

"Ah, don't speak out of turn, young lad," Frieza admonished. "I was getting to that. The loss of your world has left our empire without one of its strongest alliances. A while ago, I made overtures to a planet out in the west sector about joining with our army. A warrior race, not as strong as yours _was_, but certainly good in its own right. They weren't, shall we say, _amicable_ about the prospect of my offer.

"I pushed it to the side, but our current predicament leaves me no choice. I'll have to make them see things my way by force, and what better way to do that than with three tenacious warriors?"

An eager smirk made its way to Vegeta's lips. This was exactly the type of assignment he needed.

"The planet's name is Actinidia, and I want you three Saiyans to invade it. This may be asking too much of you, but use your brains. Do not try to fight any warriors with strong power levels, as they're the reason I'm interested in them to begin with." Frieza didn't miss the disappointment in Vegeta's face upon hearing that. "You are to slaughter the innocent civilians, which should be enough to sway their opinions. It shouldn't come to this, but should they continue to be uncooperative, let me know."

"Yes, Lord Frieza," the three Saiyans said in unison.

"Now that the mission is out of the way, onto more pressing concerns," Frieza began. "You three are now without a home planet or a race. Even when they were still around, whatever authority your planet's nobility had was nonexistent under me. Now that they're gone, there's nothing for you to _pretend_ to be obedient to ahead of me. Zarbon, what do you think that means?"

"It means they shouldn't even have to think about whom their allegiance is to," Zarbon answered with a smirk directed at the Saiyans. "And if they forget, or act out of place, there will be swift action taken."

"Indeed," Friza snickered. "Now, Vegeta and Nappa have already been living in close quarters under me, but you…uh, er, what was your name again?"

"Raditz," the long-haired Saiyan mumbled.

"Louder…"

"Raditz!" he borderline shouted. Vegeta and Nappa shook their heads in shame at his apprehension.

"Yes, Raditz. I know you were off on some frontier planet preparing it for sale, but that's no longer a pertinent matter," Frieza explained, beginning to become bored. As the only monkeys left, you will now be partners. Since Vegeta is currently the strongest of you three, he has more authority. I expect you all to conduct the same assignments together from here on out."

"But, Lord Frieza, I feel that I will progress better if I'm by myself," Vegeta said, concern growing in his eyes. He looked down and immediately regretted speaking Frieza fixed him with a glare that could break even the most recent Scouter models.

"What did I tell you about speaking out of turn, boy?" Frieza snapped, his facade of politeness shattering in an instant. "I do not recall stating that these provisions were negotiable. You may be strong enough to handle certain missions on your own, but contrary to your belief, this army doesn't exist to ensure that you'll gain strength. And why, pray tell, are you so eager to get stronger, hmm?"

Frieza leaned forward in his chair and looked at Vegeta with a condescending smirk. Vegeta fought a growl; he knew damn well Frieza knew the answer to that. Over the last year, Frieza had to repeatedly correct the boy in violent ways for the hatred he outwardly displayed towards him. With a deep breath, Vegeta replied, "Nothing."

"Didn't think so. As I was saying, we will get things done considerably faster if the three of you work in groups. You and Nappa will show Raditz the room he will be sharing with you from here on out."

"Yes, Lord," Vegeta respectfully replied.

"That's all I need to tell you," Frieza said with a dismissive wave. "Nappa and…Radish, was it? You two leave. I'd like to have a word with your quote-unquote _Prince._"

The tone in Frieza's voice was enough to send a chill down Nappa's spine. He warily glanced at Vegeta but was returned with a glare. Nappa stood up and motioned for Raditz to follow him. Vegeta fiercely shut his eyes, cursing his moment of insubordination. He was bracing himself for an attack.

Frieza let out a throaty laugh at the anxiety Vegeta was displaying. "Don't fret, Vegeta! I simply want to talk. You know that if you ever have anything you need to get off your chest, an open ear an embracing arm is waiting right here!"

Vegeta groaned as the laughter that erupted from Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria almost drove him over the edge. Frieza covered his mouth, letting his laughter subside as he continued. "I'm sure there's a torrent of thoughts and emotions going through you, 'prince.' And just know that I am deeply saddened on your behalf over the truly unfortunate fate of your planet."

Vegeta was pressing his fist against the marble floor hard enough to tear the fabric of his glove. There were a lot of things about Frieza that made his blood boil, but nothing did more than his phony politeness. It was such an infuriatingly condescending gesture, Frieza's way of playing mind games with him and underscoring the true implications of his every word.

"But, I hope that its destruction has reminded you of your own mortality. I understand that you're a growing boy, but your insubordination has made you a bit of a thorn in my side for quite some time. Now that you have nothing to pretend to have authority over, I surely hope that your arrogance tempers significantly. You are but a rook on my chess board, boy," Frieza said. The threat was lingering in every word he spoke.

"Yes, Lord Frieza."

Frieza's expression brightened. "But a favored rook! I hope you don't forget why I've taken you in as I have, and why I've been oh-so forgiving of your sharp tongue. Now, more than ever, you require my cultivation. There's just so much potential brimming inside you."

Vegeta didn't even smirk at his words, even though they were things that he was very quick to tell his peers when Frieza wasn't around. All they did was affirm the fact that he was Frieza's puppet.

"You've only been in this universe for a short amount of time, but I'm sure you've heard of a certain teaching method in military, no? 'Break them down to build them back up?'" Frieza inquired. Vegeta's throat ran dry. He was bracing himself for an attack yet again.

"Since your…" Frieza stopped to chuckle, "…_empire_ is no more, there isn't any reason for you to still carry this royal getup. Wouldn't you agree, Zarbon and Dodoria?"

Vegeta's eyes jolted wide open. Though he had done a good job of hiding it, the full weight of the loss of his home planet and people was starting to bear down on him. His attire was at least some reminder of who he was, and a symbol of the nobility he was held up to.

"But, Lord Frieza, it's my-"

"But _nothing_, Vegeta," Frieza darkly interrupted. "You may be one of my favored soldiers but that doesn't make you unique. I expect all of my soldiers to fall in line and follow our uniformity, and this cape and crest would allow you to carry on as if you deserve preferential treatment. It is nothing but a nuisance."

Vegeta simply nodded. Frieza took a sip of his wine before ordering, "Hand me your cape at once. A new outfit is waiting for you in your room."

Vegeta hesitated for a moment, and that was one moment too many. Just a second later, a pink flash of energy struck Vegeta's arm, burning his exposed skin raw and eliciting a pained grunt.

Frieza glared at Vegeta, his arm raised and his finger pointed directly at Vegeta. "When I give you an order I expect you to answer it as quickly as possible. Now hand me that cape!"

Vegeta hastily unbuckled the cape from the collar of his armor. For a brief moment, he contemplated tossing it at Frieza, but cooler heads prevailed. Instead, he stood up, neatly folded it up, and walked over to Frieza, handing it over to him without protest.

"See, now was that so hard?" Frieza quipped, snatching the cape from Vegeta's hand. "That's all I require from you. You're dismissed."

Vegeta mustered up as respectful a bow as he could before leaving the room. As soon as he heard the door close behind him, he ferociously growled and yanked his scouter off before crushing it in his hand in a rage. His conviction to kill his ruler had grown even stronger now. Marching over to his sleeping quarters, Vegeta gave glares that spelled death to anyone who even dared to snicker at him.

The door to the room was already open, and he stepped in and immediately slammed it shut. Nappa and Raditz were sitting on stone cots sticking out from the floor, discussing Frieza's assignment.

"-I heard they were a bunch of purple, bug-eyed freaks," Nappa said before giving Vegeta his undivided attention. "What happened to your cape?"

"It's gone," Vegeta replied in a guarded tone. He walked over to one of the lockers in the corner of the room, inputting a combination of numbers. The locker's door opened, revealing a blue, long sleeved body suit. Accompanying it were the usual white gloves and boots, as well as armor. The design and color scheme was the same as the one he was wearing now – white torso, golden shoulder guards. However, it was missing the red symbol on the chest plate, which made Vegeta simmer with anger. _No use skirting around it anymore_, Vegeta resolved in his head before taking off his current attire to slip into the new set.

Nappa watched Vegeta change out of the corner of his eye. Raditz rested his head in his hand, looking absolutely shaken up. His father and mother were assuredly gone, and that just left his newborn baby brother, Kakarot. Last he checked, he'd been sent off to some frontier planet in the north galaxy. It was at least calming to know that at some point in the future, they might have another ally joining them.

But for now, he was devastated. "Man, I just can't believe it. It's all gone," the boy whined. "What are we gonna do out here, Nappa? We have no home, and Frieza clearly doesn't li-"

He was cut off by a violent punch to the face that knocked the scouter right off his face and sent him sprawling to the floor. Vegeta was standing over him, fixing him with a glare than could have pierced through his armor.

"That's enough crying out of you, you low class dog," he sneered, eyeing the older fighter with nothing but contempt. "And you were sitting on my cot."

Raditz, winced and rubbed his nose before getting up. He opened his mouth to say something, but a quick tap and a negative nod from Nappa was all the warning he needed. He retreated to the cot right next to Vegeta's.

Vegeta sat down on his cot and waved one of his bangs from out of his face. Despite wearing a new uniform, he felt absolutely barren in it. He had nothing to his name anymore, his only subjects being a brutish oaf and a lower class weakling. Just a day ago, he was the privileged heir to the throne of the strongest warrior race the universe had known, hailed as the Saiyan destined to achieve the legendary Super Saiyan form. Now, he was just another soldier, or a rook on the chessboard, as Frieza said. And nothing made his status more clear than his uniform. Vegeta raised his knees and rested his arms on them, silently resolving to relentlessly fight in order to gain the power he needed to one day topple Frieza. It didn't matter how long it took – several months, several years, hell even the rest of his life. Nothing would deter his thirst for revenge.

It was the only thing he had now.

* * *

**What did you all think? I'm thinking this is just a one-shot, but I've left enough in the open to allow for more ideas or a solid direction to come to my head. Who knows, maybe I could make this a full-fledged story!**


	2. Negotiations

**Noticed an error in chapter 1 - I forgot Nappa had hair at that point! I fixed the mistake, so Nappa's not bald in this (yet).**

* * *

"_Power, respect, legacy…it will be all yours, son. You were born with an extraordinary battle power, and it's only destiny that you will stake your claim as the highest being on the food chain..."_

The words of the deep, gruff voice resonating in Vegeta's head were enough to wake him up from his slumber. In his estimation, he'd only slept for four hours at the most, but that wasn't important. There was far too much work for him to do. Vegeta leapt off of his cot and grabbed the armor he'd discarded on the floor before his slumber. After quickly slipping it on, Vegeta walked over to his locker and opened it up, letting out a low gasp at what he saw. Or rather, he didn't see – the armor that Frieza ordered him to stop wearing was gone. The prince growled low in his throat before retrieving his scouter and slamming the door shut.

Vegeta turned around and went to the door, glancing at Nappa and Raditz before he hit a button to open it. They were both still asleep, earning a mental scolding from him. Vegeta hadn't eaten since yesterday's purge and his growing Saiyan body was demanding nourishment, so he headed to the mess hall. As he walked, he slipped his scouter on and hit a few buttons to shuffle through communication links. He stopped once he reached the scouter code he was looking for: Frieza's. What he wanted to ask was what he did with his old armor, but he was sure the list of things smarter to do than that spanned several pages. He overheard him blathering about some wine and winced at his throaty chuckles before shutting the link off.

There was quite the commotion in the mess hall when Vegeta stepped in. The hall was a plain, grey room, filled with black tables occupied by dozens of soldiers in the Galactic Army. Several of them were standing up, giving their attention to a confrontation between two soldiers.

One soldier, a boy donning red skin and long, white hair, evaded a punch from the humanoid solider in front of him with little effort before leveling him with a kick that sent him flying halfway across the room. He was spiraling in Vegeta's direction. The prince simply grunted and then halted his flight with a swipe of his arm that knocked the man into the wall to his left. The other soldiers scrambled away from the scene, wary of Vegeta's already notorious temper.

Vegeta smirked in the other fighter's direction. "Marking your territory, huh, Jeice?"

"That weakling thought he could take my grub," the red fighter said in his high-pitched, heavily accented voice. Jeice was only a few years older than Vegeta and had garnered a reputation in the army as an exceptionally skilled fighter, capturing enough attention for Frieza to call him up to live at the home base.

Vegeta took a seat at the table where the confrontation occurred and grabbed the unsightly, brown piece of meat on the tray in front of him. Jeice sat across from him and downed a bag of blue beans. He chewed them loud enough to draw glares from the group of soldiers sitting in the adjacent tables.

"So I hear ya planet got blown to bits," Jeice crudely remarked through a mouthful of beans.

Vegeta merely grunted in response. "Not like it makes much of a difference. I'm still Lord Frieza's underling either way," he said, the bitter resentment obvious in his tone.

"You're talkin' like it doesn't give you plenty of perks," Jeice replied as he poured a couple of beans out from the bag. He drew his palm out and in almost an instant, the beans caught on fire. Seconds later, he blew the fire away in a single breath and indulged in his newly fried beans.

Vegeta watched the display with intrigue, as that was one of his abilities that caught everyone's eye to begin with. "Easy for you to say; I have to pester him just to get a planet that can even make me perspire."

"Well, duh, cuz he wants you to stay alive for some reason."

Vegeta's eye twitched at that statement. The young prince hated being reminded of how much Frieza favored him. The last thing he wanted to be considered was a pampered brat. "Don't be absurd. We all know the real reason. To top it off, now I'm stuck dragging two other Saiyans around."

"Oh c'mon now, kid," Jeice snickered, "Don't be getting' a big head on ya now." He stood up and continued to laugh when he saw the angry snarl Vegeta was giving him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got an assignment of my own. I hear the strongest fighter at this place has a power level of 10,000!"

Vegeta growled at Jeice as he watched him grab his bag of beans and leave the mess hall. His dark eyes were filled with anger and envy, yearning to get assignments like Jeice's instead of being stuck serving as Frieza's errand boy. Vegeta put his piece of meat down and marched out of the hall. He used his scouter to try to track Jeice's power level to follow him. He was walking at a faster pace, bumping into a few irritated soldiers along the way. When he saw Jeice heading for one of the exits, he quickened his pace.

"Jeice, wait!" Vegeta called out.

The red boy turned around and gave Vegeta confused look. "What? I ain't gonna take ya with me, if that's what ya gonna ask. Lord Frieza would have my head."

"No, it's not that," Vegeta replied, though he was almost tempted to do just that. "But how have you been getting Frieza to assign you to better planets?"

"I dunno," Jeice replied with a shrug. "Just askin' him nicely, I guess. And besides, you know the drill on their weekly power level evaluations. They _should_ be givin' ya planets based on how strong you are."

Vegeta glared down at the floor. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Jeice was telling him. It was painfully obvious that he was getting different treatment. Jeice saw the desperation in Vegeta's eyes and tried to come up with some sort of logical solution.

"Uh…I'll tell ya what. When you're done with whatever planet Frieza just gave you, just tell him ya want to fight one of his soldiers, either at your rank or above you," Jeice explained. "Even if ya don't win, Frieza might deem you worthy or whatever if ya put up a good fight." Jeice shrugged one more time before turning around and leaving the building.

Vegeta's tail waved excitedly behind him. "Oh, I'll win," he said with a smirk. A good fight was something he'd been missing for quite some time. Seemingly on cue, Vegeta received a transmission over his scouter.

"Vegeta, report to Lord Frieza's throne room at once," rang the voice of Zarbon over Vegeta's scouter.

Vegeta sighed and headed towards the throne room. He marched through the already opened doors and saw Nappa and Raditz kneeling before Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria. Vegeta scowled, stepped between the two, and mirrored their respectful gesture.

"Zarbon, would you mind retrieving that _thing_ you presented to me earlier?" Frieza humorously asked.

"As you wish, Lord Frieza," Zarbon replied. He walked to one of the rooms behind Frieza and came back with a set of armor. Vegeta's strong eyesight allowed him to immediately recognize the red insignia on its left chest plate. The three superiors couldn't suppress their laughter when they saw Vegeta gasp at the sight of it.

Zarbon handed the armor to Frieza. "Thank you, sir," Frieza politely replied as he examined the armor. "What to do with this, indeed."

"Frieza, w-what are you-" Vegeta blurted out before he was interrupted by a blast from Dodoria that hit him directly in the face. Vegeta flew back several feet and rolled on the floor, clutching his face in agony as he felt the sensitive skin burn raw around his eyes.

"That's _Lord_ Frieza to you, and don't speak out of turn!" Dodoria sneered.

Nappa winced uncomfortably as he kneeled. It was his sworn duty from King Vegeta himself to protect the prince, but now he was completely powerless to do so. It was killing him inside to watch him get pushed around so blatantly. He turned his head to the side and watched as Vegeta staggered to his feet. The boy clenched his fists tightly and glared at Dodoria with intense hatred. Nappa knew exactly what was on Vegeta's mind and shook his head, his own silent warning. Vegeta conceded and sunk his head before we walked forward and resumed kneeling.

Frieza was still looking at the armor, either not being aware of the exchange or just not caring. "This crest of yours is such an eyesore. Honestly, I'm not sure why you're so attached to this thing, young lad."

"I already gave it to you, what else do you need with it?" Vegeta asked through clenched teeth.

"Vegeta!" Nappa hissed in admonishment.

"Dodoria?" Frieza asked, not taking his eye off the armor. The scaly, pink minion smirked and nodded. Dodoria sprung forward and violently slammed his knee into Vegeta. Vegeta was so small that Dodoria's leg nearly engulfed is entire body. Nappa and Raditz instinctively sprung to action, while Dodoria moved behind their prince and wrapped his arm around his jaw. It was smother nearly half of his face.

"You monkeys better stand down unless you plan on joining him," he warned. Vegeta clutched his massive arm with both hands, shaking in his grip both in pain and rage.

Frieza finally raised his head to face the three Saiyans. "This armor and, more importantly, the meaning it carries for you bodes nothing but a distraction." Frieza casually tossed the plate to the floor and raised his finger, which emitted an orange light. "It simply must go."

Frieza fired a beam at the armor that instantly charred it to flames. Vegeta's muffled growls could be heard over Dodoria's arm and the other two Saiyans closed their eyes to avoid the sight. Vegeta was squeezing his fists until they were nearly as white as the gloves around them as he watched what was left of his dignified royalty go up in smoke.

"How unfortunate," Frieza cackled. "Now your precious 'royal armor' has gone the way of the rest of the Saiyans. Is there a problem, boy?" Dodoria relinquished his grip on Vegeta and carelessly shoved him to the floor. Vegeta let out a series of harsh coughs and staggered back to his knees. Despite his diminutive size, he already had a glare that could murder, and it was pointed directly at Frieza.

"Such rage! If I didn't know any better, I'd judge from that look on your face that you want to take your problems out with me." Frieza's smirk turned sinister as he added, "I heard your conversation with Jeice a few minutes ago over the scouters. I don't appreciate that mouth of yours."

Vegeta's face paled as he remembered a specific allusion he'd made. The darkness cast in Frieza's eyes was enough to make Vegeta have to stare at the floor. "And you know what I _really_ don't appreciate? The implied threat that you so freely and carelessly attach to every statement you make regarding me behind closed doors. You may be as daft as you look, but I know you at least have a sharp memory. Repeat to me what I and Zarbon warned you of yesterday."

"If I forget my allegiance or act out of place, swift action will be taken," Vegeta hoarsely replied.

"You're more transparent than a scouter, Vegeta. Maybe I wouldn't notice if you eased up on the blatant disrespect, but you despise me. Yes, it pains my heart to say it, but it's the truth. I give you the benefit of the doubt, for you're a child, barely above a toddler. You have a natural inability to demonstrate rational thought," Frieza coldly examined. "The only reason you even attempt to obey me is because you know of the difference between our powers. After all, what is power but the most natural form of authority known across the universe?

"But know this – you will only ever gain as much power as _I_ dictate. I control you, boy, and your only purpose is to serve as a useful soldier to do my bidding." Frieza motioned for Dodoria to return to his side. "Do you know how it is that these two have become my two right hand men? Or how the Ginyu Force have become such elite lieutenants? Or hell, how your 'friend' Jeice has no trouble getting strong worlds to conquer? Because they know the pecking order and their place in it. You will never be anything more than a slave. Don't _ever_ forget that." The usual politeness was absent in Frieza's voice. His message was clear.

"Yes, Lord Frieza," Vegeta reluctantly spat out.

In just an instant, Frieza closed his eyes and smiled. "Boy, all of that solemnity was beginning to put a damper on everything!" Vegeta nearly rolled his eyes. "Now that we have all of that ugliness pushed to the side, onto more pleasant matters. The three of you have an assignment that begins today! As I previously said, you are to purge Planet Actinidia of its innocents to bargain with the stronger fighters. As an amendment to that order, you may combat the warriors, since I'm sure they'll try to put up a fight. But that's _all. _If you can help it, do not kill them."

Zarbon tossed a black remote at Nappa, which he easily caught. "That's a controller. Press the green button at the bottom right and then input the number of however many warriors are left on the planet. That will bring in ships to send them away to the training planet," Frieza explained.

Zarbon handed Nappa another device. "Give this to their king, who bears the planet's namesake. Lord Frieza will engage in negotiations with them via this holographic device. Once they surrender, press the button."

"It's not a very large planet, and even the stronger fighters shouldn't be more than you can handle, and thus I expect this to be done in two days. Am I clear?" Frieza asked.

"Yes, Lord Frieza," the three Saiyans replied."

"Very well. Dismissed. Don't disappoint me, now!" The Saiyans rose to their feet and exited the room. Just before Vegeta left, Frieza added one last thing. "Oh, and Vegeta. As extra incentive for you to do a thorough job, you will earn a training session with yours truly if it's done in a day. Accounting for the length of the round trip, I'll know."

"Yes, Lord," Vegeta replied, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice.

As Vegeta headed for the building's exit, Raditz walked up to him. "Prince Vegeta, I'm sorry about y-"

Raditz's pity was cut off by an elbow to the gut. He clutched his stomach and sank to his knees, coughing harshly in pain. Vegeta sneered down at him before walking away. Nappa shook his head and offered Raditz a hand. Raditz grabbed it and was effortlessly lifted up to his feet by the elder Saiyan.

"I think there's a few things I need teach about interacting with Vegeta, kid," Nappa snickered.

"I've never seen a guy with so much pride," Raditz said, spitting out blood.

"You'll get used to it."

They stepped outside and flew over to a launch pad a few miles away from the building. Vegeta was already waiting there, impatiently drumming his hand along his space pod. "Thought it was gonna take you fools forever to get here."

"Sorry about that, I had to make sure this kid could keep up," Nappa quipped.

"Hey, I was following you just fine!" Raditz snapped.

"Watch it, kid! Vegeta's not the only one you oughta show some respect to. Foolish third-class…"

Vegeta snickered at the exchange. He pressed the button to open the pod's door. "I wanted to go to a planet to get some training in, but I want to meet Frieza's deadline. Let's hurry up." Vegeta hopped in his pod, and the two other Saiyans stepped into theirs.

Once Vegeta was inside and the door closed in front of him, he hit a few buttons on the control panel to his bottom right and an electronic voice prompted him. _"Destination?"_

"Planet Actinidia," Vegeta replied.

"_Destination set to: Planet Actinidia, West Galaxy, Section 5837YZ"_

Vegeta folded his arms across his chest as he felt his space pod blast off into the sky. The tension in him rose, and more importantly, so did his thirst for blood. In just a day, he had built up enough frustration for a lifetime and was eager to take it out on some unsuspecting Actinidians. Hopefully a few would actually put up a worthwhile fight.

* * *

Several hours later, the Saiyans arrived. Vegeta stepped out of his pod and immediately examined the atmosphere. The sky was a dark shade of purple, and the air was cold enough to make even a Saiyan shiver. He uncomfortably hissed when a gust of wind blew his bangs into his eyes. Raditz stepped out, though Vegeta was ignoring him and waiting for Nappa. The burly Saiyan left his pod with a few items in his hand.

One of the items was a red device. He raised it up and pressed a button that produced a holographic projection of the planet's globe. Vegeta levitated to reach eye-level with the projection. He raised his finger at it and swiped it to the left, making the globe spin in the same direction. He then pointed at one particular location, the simulated touch prompting a graphic that gave information about the area.

He did it several more times before he folded his arms again. "Alright, since I'm trying to beat the deadline, we'll split up to make things quick. Nappa you take this place," Vegeta directed, spinning the globe and pointing at a location. "It's south of here. There's a pretty big amount of people there and the average power level is middling - barely over 1,000, which you should take care of with a few of those blasts of yours."

"Of course. Oh man, I can't wait to see these freaks scream when they see me!" Nappa excitedly yelled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, now," Vegeta snickered. He gave an annoyed sigh before turning to Raditz. "And you, there are quite a few places on the entire east side of this planet that are filled with weaklings. I'm sure even you could handle them. Try not to get yourself killed."

Raditz groaned at having his inferiority spelled out so bluntly, but nodded. "Right, Vegeta."

"I'm going directly to their king. When I'm finished, I'll inform you on my scouter. You two better be done when the time comes," Vegeta explained, with a stern warning in his tone. They both gave affirmative replies. "And let's get this done soon, boys."

Nappa pressed a button to turn the projector off and placed it under his armor plate. The three Saiyans flew off to their respective destinations. Vegeta flew with more energy than usual. In all honesty, he wasn't fond of Frieza's training sessions, mainly because the tyrant didn't have much interest in doing anything other than firing beams at him to test his reflexes, or giving him tactical advice. But he was strong enough that the end results helped raise his power. He'd occasionally show him some hand-to-hand skills, and he was certainly better than that effeminate bastard, Zarbon.

Over the next few hours, Vegeta feverishly flew towards the planet's kingdom. As he torpedoed through the sky, he rained powerful energy blasts down at any unsuspecting collection of buildings looming hundreds of feet below him. He had to make his presence known, of course. The little Saiyan cruelly laughed when he heard the shrieks of civilians caught in the crossfire.

He soon eased up on the assault in order to save his energy. And when he heard several explosions go off in the distance, he assumed it was Nappa, which meant he was causing enough of a commotion to make at least _somebody_ aware of their presence. Vegeta normally hated Nappa's lack of subtlety, but it was forgivable in this case. The smirk on his face grew - he knew the worthwhile fighters would be coming to him soon enough.

A few minutes later, Vegeta's scouter beeped. It detected a few power levels straight ahead. "Excellent," Vegeta said to himself. The power level was 3,000, which definitely was good enough to give him a warm-up. Vegeta himself was a little over 6,000. He exploded energy around him and blasted down to ground. He was in a wasteland, with nothing but cliffs and rocks ahead of him for miles. He still had a ways to go before reaching the kingdom, but this would do.

"Show yourselves, freaks!" Vegeta called out to the sky.

Minutes later, Vegeta's scouter alerted him to several power levels coming to him at a rapid pace. All of them with levels similar to the one he detected earlier. Vegeta looked up and saw several fighters gathered in the sky. They dropped to the ground, each in individual stances and prepared for battle. Vegeta observed them closely. These aliens were all purple – scaly, unsightly beings with large eyes and what looked like tubes protruding from each side of their head in place of ears. There were five of them, all wearing black martial arts gis.

"So are we just going to stare at each other or are we going to fight?!" Vegeta yelled, squaring his shoulders for battle.

One of the five fighters looked frightened and turned to the man besides him. He was shorter than the others, likely a young fighter. "O-oh crap! I think I've heard of this one before!"

"He's wearing the same armor as the soldiers in the Cold Empire. They've sent them after us, huh?" the other fighter said.

"That's right, and you fools better stand down. I've got two other men purging this planet as we speak, and if you don't plan on surrendering to Lord Frieza's demands then we'll wipe this whole planet of you ugly fish freaks!" Vegeta challenged.

"Over my dead body!" one of the warriors declared.

The anxious fighter swallowed heavily in his throat. "Now I remember his name! He's Vegeta…a Saiyan!"

"A Saiyan?! Dammit, it looks like we'll have to take him very seriously…."

"You're smart to be terrified bh me, rodent," Vegeta boasted. "Like I said, you _should_ stand down, but if you want to be stubborn I'll happily oblige!"

"Fool, you may think you're strong, and you may be a Saiyan, but we outnumber you five to one. The only one who needs to surrender is you!" one of the five fighters said.

The young warrior took a few steps back, swallowing heavily in his throat. He'd heard stories about the Saiyans before and knew that they lived for nothing but fighting and bloodshed. Vegeta may have been pint-sized, but just his mere presence was fearsome. "This is stupid! I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'd rather stay alive!" The young fighter flew off into the sky.

"Dammit, Cui, get back here!" the fighter next to him yelled out.

A sadistic grin made its way to Vegeta's lips. _Fool_, he thought to himself as he blasted off into the sky. He chased after Cui at a breakneck pace was in front of him in just a few seconds. Cui stopped dead in his tracks and was left stuttering like a scatterbrained fool. Vegeta phased in front of him and then clobbered him with a kick to the face. The other four fighters took off after Vegeta before Cui even hit the ground. Vegeta raised both of his fists and channeled a lethal amount of energy to them. Just as it seemed that the warriors were primed to surround Vegeta and leave him open to a gang beatdown, he fired an explosive array of blasts, rigorously swinging his arms around like a wild animal.

The blasts weren't exactly precise, but they hit everything within hundreds of feet of Vegeta, including the fish-like fighters. The blasts had enough power to even topple the giant rocks around him, leaving clouds of smoke. His opponents were left in a frenzy as they tried to make out their surroundings, but Vegeta had already been in this circumstance enough times in his short life to maintain his bearings. He could see their silhouettes behind the thick clouds of dust. Now he could pick them apart one by one.

Vegeta slammed his knee into the first fighter he found. He quickly responded with a flurry of punches, but Vegeta was so short and nimble that he evaded all of them without breaking a sweat. Then, with ruthless efficiency, he fired a blast into his face that happened to knock him into another one of allies. While Vegeta was laughing at those two guys, he allowed himself to be blindsided by a kick to the skull that knocked him to the ground.

Vegeta cursed his lapse of concentration. He was dizzy, as the fighter's foot hit him directly in the temple. Three warriors flew after him while he rubbed his head. Vegeta flew back, but they charged at him with great speed. He blocked one of their punches, but another one almost immediately struck him in the chest. Though he was hurting a bit, Vegeta smirked. The fools gave him the separation he needed, allowing him to fire two energy blasts from his hands that knocked a pair of fighters flat, and then with great speed he zipped up to the third one and clashed with him directly.

They exchanged a staggering amount of attacks – some hit, some landed, and all of them ate away at their energy. The Actinidian nailed Vegeta with a kick that leveled half of his body, but the young prince stayed calm and dove right at him. The two fighters collided head-to-head, and the Actinidian got the worst of exchange. And then to top it off, Vegeta nearly crushed his skull with both of his fists.

However, just when he was finished with that one Actinidian, the other two followed him. Vegeta threw strategy away and flew at them head on, but all he got for it were two punches to his stomach. Then, one of the Actinidians fired a blast to Vegeta's chest that sent him back to the ground. He immediately sprang back up and saw another energy blast heading straight for him. Rather than dodge it, Vegeta swung his small leg back and, with all his might, kicked the blast right back at the Actinidian. He used so much strength that the blast hit him before he could even dodge it. One of the other Actinidians then charged at him, but Vegeta slammed his fist straight into his stomach. The Actinidian doubled over in agony and fell to the ground.

Then, Vegeta flew up and fired two blasts with varying degrees of strength at his two opponents. One Actinidian was sent several yards back, while the other remained within a short distance of Vegeta. The prince zipped to him and then delivered a debilitating chop to his waist, applying enough force to dig into his flesh. Vegeta laughed at his blood curdling scream and, with blood dripping on his fist, punched the warrior in the jaw to knock him out cold. With him taken care of, Vegeta flew to the other fighter and jumped behind him, chopping him in the back of the neck with enough force to knock him out, but not kill him. The last two fighters were persistent, however, and stood firm.

Vegeta floated confidently in the air and smirked at the two Actinidians as they gathered their Ki. They couldn't match up to Vegeta's strength even combined, so he knew he could make easy pickings of whatever they mustered up. They fired two huge energy waves, the light bright enough to blind Vegeta. However, he remained calm and cupped both of his hands together, charging his own energy. It burned violently around his hands, producing sparks of electricity.

"GALLICK GUN!"

Vegeta fired an explosive energy wave back at them and its power overtook the other two blasts, deflecting them and hitting the two Actinidians before they could escape. Its collision with the ground triggered a huge explosion of light and dust, which Vegeta had to shield his eyes from. When the smoke cleared, all that remained were four unconscious future soldiers of the Cold Empire lying in a crater.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and surveyed the area. He focused his sights on a boulder he spotted far off to the right. Only needing a small fraction of his power, Vegeta blew the boulder to pieces with an energy blast. Cowering in the rock's wake was the younger fighter who tried to flee earlier, Cui.

Vegeta chuckled and flew down to him. Cui shrieked and tried to run away, but Vegeta instantly caught up to him and slammed his foot onto his ankle, shattering it on impact. The fish-like warrior was hissing in pain and trying to clutch his ankle while Vegeta glared down at him.

"You contemptible piece of trash; at least those four other guys had the balls to fight me head-on instead of running away like a coward!" Vegeta chided. He remained stationary but didn't relinquish the pressure on Cui's ankle. He removed his foot after chuckling at Cui's murmuring for a few more moments. He didn't give him enough time to grovel, however, as he grabbed him by one of the antennae hanging from his chin to force him to his feet.

"Now, you're going to help me drag your friends here and lead me to where your king lives. If you don't, I'll have no problem letting you discover what your entrails look like before I burn you alive. Am I clear?" Vegeta ordered, his face only inches away from the trembling Cui. The Actinidian grit his teeth for a few seconds, and in response the impatient Saiyan prince viciously yanked his antennae.

"Okay!"

"Good." Vegeta let go and turned around to face the crater he created. "I'll carry two of them, and you'll carry the others." He rolled his eyes and added, "You do it right now and I'll pretend to ignore that pathetic excuse for a blast you're charging up behind my back."

Vegeta heard a few foreign curses behind him while he flew down the crater. He grabbed two Actinidians' feet in each hand and floated a few feet in the air, waiting for Cui to do the same. He was flying just a tad too slow, causing Vegeta to harshly order him to hurry up.

"F-follow me," Cui said. He flew into the sky and Vegeta did as directed.

"And if you're leading me to a trap, to hell with Frieza's order. I'll blow this entire planet to bits myself," Vegeta warned. He was unconcerned with the two Actinidians dangling precariously from his hands.

When Vegeta could see a large, red structure accompanied by buildings in his field of vision, he tossed the two Actinidians in his hands high into the sky. Cui heard it happen from behind him and was startled, yelling, "Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

Vegeta ignored him and fired a rapid stream of energy blasts at the city below him, demolishing dozens of buildings and killing God knew how many people in the process. Cui gasped in horror at the brutal display of violence from the Saiyan lurking dangerously behind him. Truth be told, he was more worried about what was going to happen to himself than his fellow people. A few seconds later, the two Actinidians came down from their ascent and landed safely in Vegeta's grasp once more.

"What the hell are you staring at?!" Vegeta snapped at Cui, who was looking at him over his shoulder with terror. He hastily swung his head back forward and heightened his flying speed.

"I-It's here, Saiyan. Just follow me," Cui said when they reached the red building. He flew downward and Vegeta followed his path. As he flew down, Vegeta noticed a fleeing survivor and smashed his knee into the back of his head, knocking it clean off of his shoulders. When he landed, he dropped the two fighters and pressed the buttons on his scouter.

"Nappa, do you hear me?" Vegeta asked.

"Yeah, I'm here, Vegeta," Nappa replied over the scouter.

"How are things going on your end?"

"I wiped most of these freaks out. A few of them gave me some trouble but I flattened them."

"Perfect. Even you're smart enough to follow the coordinates on my scouter, so join me here at the kingdom," Vegeta replied.

"Yes, Vegeta."

Vegeta grunted and looked for another link. "Raditz, are you alive?"

"Yes, Vegeta," Raditz drawled with a hint of irritation.

"Watch your tone, weakling!" Vegeta harshly replied. "Come here at once. Follow the coordinates on your scouter."

"Yes, sir."

Vegeta shut off the communication channel and returned his attention to the building in front of him. "Hey, King! Get the hell out here or I'll burn this shitty excuse for a kingdom to the ground!" he screamed while impatiently tapping his feet on the ground.

Cui recognized the Saiyan prince's short fuse and rushed forward. "King Actinidia! Please come out!"

"Looks like you've got a brain in that disgusting head, fish-face," Vegeta snidely remarked.

Two large, metallic doors at the building's entrance slid open, revealing a tall, muscular Actinidian warrior. He wore shiny, silver armor and donned a cape, looking at Vegeta with contempt. Another Actinidian followed him, and this one was wearing a sparkling dress. Vegeta smirked. It was hard to tell since everybody on the planet looked exactly the same, but he assumed it was a female, and his wife. Vegeta smirked at the extra leverage that was presented before him.

"You're one of Frieza's men, aren't you? I should've known that disgusting, loathsome lizard would lay his treacherous hands on this planet instead of accepting my refusal," the King sneered.

Vegeta snickered; he was preaching to the choir in that regard. But Vegeta had a job to do, and this guy was the primary obstacle. "My men and I have killed over half of your population, and I easily took care of some of your strongest fighters. You can either surrender and make a deal with Lord Frieza, or end up just like the others."

"I don't negotiate with terrorists, you rotten monkey!" King Actinidia snarled in response.

"So impudent," Vegeta muttered as he ran his scouter. The number he received was 6,000, which both annoyed and excited Vegeta. Though he was sure he would come out on top in a fight, such an evenly matched battle could go on for ages, and he'd never reach Frieza's rigid deadline. It would be a fight to the death, which would leave Frieza extremely displeased and render the mission pointless.

Vegeta's scouter went off, and the power level indicated it was Nappa. He turned away from the King and spoke into the scouter. "Nappa, are you close?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I can see this castle thingy," Nappa replied.

"Can you see me?"

"Nope."

"Good, that means you're on the other side," Vegeta replied, deviously smirking. "Fly to the other end of the building." He lowered his voice to almost a mumble and added, "The queen is standing behind him. Snatch her and come to me."

"Already ahead of ya, Prince."

Vegeta nodded and turned to the King. He got into a fighting stance. "Alright, it looks like I'm going to have beat compliance into you."

"As you wi-"

The King's words died when the tall, muscular Saiyan warrior dropped in behind him, making the ground shake. He snatched his wife with one of his massive hands and flew away before King Actinidia could get to him.

"Get off of me, you monster!" she shrieked as Nappa fled to Vegeta.

"Chrysanta! What are you doing with her?!" King Actinidia demanded.

Vegeta smirked and raised a finger, which began to glow with a bright orb of energy. "I'm sure it would be a shame if your precious queen lost one of her fingers. If you don't give in to Lord Frieza's demands, I'll blow her limbs off as slowly as possible until you swear allegiance."

"You will _not!_" the King retorted. He raised his arm and gathered an energy blast in his palm. "Let her go this instant!"

"Wrong answer."

Nappa forcefully raised the woman's right hand, and then Vegeta fired a ray beam that blew her index finger clean off. Her scream was loud enough to echo through the air, forcefully piercing the tube-like ears of the King. His eyes were filled with total hatred at the sadistic joy Vegeta took at her pain. Raditz arrived shortly after, and he was both surprised and intrigued by the display. He knew the basics from the scouter transmission and admired the control his two superiors had over the situation.

"Look at how badly your fellow amphibian beast is hurting! Are you going to continue to try to play hero?" Vegeta inquired.

King Actinidia growled and looked at Cui, who staggered back. "H-hey, don't try to drag me into this, he'll kill me!"

Vegeta and Nappa both laughed boisterously at kid. "This bastard may be a coward but he's smart, unlike you," Vegeta said. He turned to his comrade. "Nappa?"

Nappa once again raised her hand, which was shaking violently in his grip. King Actinidia, sick of the violence, charged at the three Saiyans. Vegeta unleashed an animalistic scream and fired an energy blast that brutally smashed into the ruler, making him spiral into the red castle. He smacked into the brick surface and caved into it, teetering on the edge of consciousness.

Vegeta irritably hissed. It looked like this guy was stubborn enough to let his wife be tortured to avoid Frieza's clutches. He was eager to break Frieza's deadline far ahead of time to earn the training session and maybe even a shred of dignity. It was time to break out his trump card.

Vegeta raised his palm and gathered a significant amount of energy. A bright, wipe orb formed about it, alarming Nappa and Raditz.

"Whoa, Vegeta, do we really need to bring it to _that?_" Nappa asked.

"_Silence!_" Vegeta snarled.

Vegeta waited for the king to get up from the rubble. He stumbled forward and was shocked to see what Vegeta had raised above his palm.

"This is in artificial moon!" Vegeta proclaimed. "If I blast this into the sky, I and my two other men will transform into gigantic apes that can level entire civilizations and reduce you to a wad of chewing gum between our feet! Not only will we become too big for you to handle, but our power will increase tenfold! So, what's it gonna be, fishface?!"

King Actinidia stared at Vegeta, and then looked back at the queen, who was in tears as Nappa had her seized in his grip. He was backed into a corner, and it didn't matter how many warriors he could summon against such savage monsters. After letting only a few moments fly by, Actinidia lowered his hands and sunk his head.

"Fine. I surrender."

"Good," Vegeta said, relinquishing the power ball. He panted heavily, but didn't give any other indication of weakness, also ignoring the sweat drenching his forehead even in the frigid weather. He'd lost quite a bit of power summoning the ball, and if the King got any funny ideas he would be in no condition to defend himself.

"Raditz," Vegeta called. He motioned his head towards Cui. Raditz nodded, leapt towards Cui, and drove his knee right into his waist. Though he was great deal weaker than the purple alien, he was able to deal a formidable amount of damage by blindsiding him. He slammed his foot on top of his back to seize him.

Nappa let go of the queen and retrieved two of the devices from under his armor. One was a black remote, which he handed to Vegeta, and then he presented the other projection device to King Actinidia. "Now, you better not try any funny business, 'cause Vegeta here can summon that ball back up in a flash." It was a lie, but it was hard for desperate men to call a bluff.

Vegeta sat down and pressed the buttons on the remote per Frieza's instructions. He estimated how many space pods he'd need to call up while also keeping a watchful eye on Nappa and the King. He could see a miniature, holographic projection of Frieza, which at least indicated that the negotiation process was underway at the moment. Vegeta looked back at Cui, who was squirming beneath Raditz's boot. He flashed that evil smirk again.

"You better get used to your new home, freak."


	3. Stagnation

Vegeta stood in a room, surrounded by nothing but blackness as far as the eye could see. He was wearing his usual blue tights, but with a tank-top instead of his long-sleeved top and armor. He appeared calm, but his chest was swelling with anticipation.

From the dark shadows came Frieza, who had his deceptively chipper smile on his face. It was unusual to see him not sitting in his floating chair. "I must say, Vegeta, I am very impressed with how quickly you were able to complete your assignment, especially without having to resort to the barbaric violence you Saiyans are typically predisposed to."

Vegeta offered no comment. This opportunity was too good for him to waste with his smart mouth.

"It took you far less than a day to get the job done, and as a result of your diligence, you have earned a valuable lesson in combat from the king himself," Frieza praised, his arms clasped behind his back. "Now, show me your fighting stance."

Vegeta nodded and crouched down, raising his left hand over his head and leaving his right hand at his side. Frieza studiously observed him, analyzing the nuances of Vegeta's posture.

"Hn. Your current short stature makes the openings you leave forgivable, but you may want to consider changing it when you're older," Frieza opined. "Regardless, it's a decent start. Now, come at me."

Vegeta dashed right at Frieza and unleashed a flurry of punches. Though this was just for sport, it felt invigorating to be able to unleash the anger that was burning within him against his oppressor. He was attacking with the intensity of a legitimate fight, which made Frieza snort with amusement. The tyrant was effortlessly evading Vegeta's attacks, which only intensified the pint-sized prince's frustration.

"Your attacks are wild and unfocused, boy! I can predict your actions before you even do them yourself!" Frieza exclaimed in that shrill voice that made Vegeta's skin crawl. He ignored Frieza's chiding and continued attacking with fury. It was getting him nowhere, but he was in a blind, angry haze.

Frieza paused, allowing Vegeta to get a solid hit in. However, Frieza lifted his hand and with just his finger, stopped Vegeta's fist before it had a chance of touching his face.

"D-dammit!" Vegeta growled.

Frieza chuckled and produced a shockwave with his finger that knocked Vegeta into the wall several feet away. Vegeta was seething as he staggered back up. He could tell from the condescending smirk on Frieza's face what the primary objective behind this was: to reinforce the gap between their powers in order to keep Vegeta in line. What Frieza didn't know was how much this fueled the young Saiyan. His determination only grew.

Before Vegeta could even move a muscle, a pink beam of light that could easily pierce flesh was spiraling into his face. He swiftly slid to the right, avoiding it by a hair's breadth. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the flawless hole the beam left in the wall, which made his throat run dry. A second later, another beam came his way, and this time Vegeta had to crane his neck to the left to avoid it.

"Focus, boy! One momentary lapse can mean the end of your life," Frieza scolded.

Vegeta took a few steps away from the wall and locked his vision on Frieza's finger. Another beam fired away from it, and Vegeta immediately leapt out of the way of its lightning-quick trajectory. He did it several more times even as Frieza's speed heightened incrementally. He seemed to memorize the rhythm of the blasts and was able to evade them with precision, but the pace was starting to wear him down.

He leaped into the air to avoid another beam that had been just inches away from his face, and then jumped back down to avoid another one. However, as soon as he hit the floor, another beam struck him right in his left knee. Vegeta immediately fell down as he felt a sharp pain surge through his entire leg. He bit down on his bottom lip to avoid letting Frieza hear him scream.

"You lose."

Vegeta rose back up slowly. His posture was unbalanced, as he put extra weight on his left leg in order to bear standing. He clenched his fists tightly and glared furiously at Frieza, challenging him to unleash his next attack. Frieza tilted his head to the side and returned his stare, studying Vegeta like he was his prey.

But then he smirked and placed his hands behind his back again. "Well, I suppose that should do for your training session. Your raw power and speed is impressive but you still need some fine tuning. That will come in due time, young lad!"

Vegeta's eyes fluttered and he cocked his head back in confusion. That was barely even a warm-up! It had been a few months since Frieza trained him, and he'd given him quite the thrashing. He received a good power boost when he recovered. "What…?! Is that all?!"

Frieza laughed at the flustered child. "Baby steps, Vegeta! I was simply giving you a few pointers; did I suggest otherwise?" Vegeta's glare intensified and he bore his teeth at Frieza, which only made his laughter grow. "I'm elated that you didn't overexert yourself in your invasion of Actinidia so you could engage in this with a clear mind and good health."

Realization dawned on Vegeta as he sunk his head. This was all a setup and Frieza played him like a fool. He promised the training session knowing Vegeta would avoid getting in an intense battle in order to beat the deadline, all so he wouldn't get stronger. Vegeta shook his head, disappointed in how blind he'd been. Frieza chuckled low in his throat and the gleam in his eye indicated that he knew Vegeta was connecting the dots in his head.

"You are dismissed. I do hope that you take my advice to heart, Vegeta," Frieza politely informed.

"Y-yes, sir. Thank you, Lord Frieza," Vegeta forced out, biting back his irritation. He bowed respectfully and left the training quarters.

Recognizing that he wasn't wearing a scouter at the moment and thus couldn't be spied on, Vegeta punched a wall in the hallway in frustration, leaving a dent and drawing alarm from a few passerby soldiers in the process. He ignored his limp and marched down the hall to his sleeping quarters as soldiers wisely got out of his way. He practically smacked the door's hand sensor when he arrived and stomped his way in the room. Nappa and Raditz were already sitting on their cots and were startled by Vegeta's presence.

"Wait, that's it? I figured Frieza would be training you for a lot longer than that," Raditz remarked.

"Yeah, and I'm surprised you're not in a healing tank right about now," Nappa replied.

"It was all just a ruse to keep me from getting a good fight on Actinidia!" Vegeta growled. His tail was frantically waving behind him while he paced back and forth like a mental patient. "I should've seen it coming the moment he said it!"

"Dammit, I _knew_ something was up!" Nappa exclaimed, smacking his fist against the cot.

Vegeta sat down against the locker and rubbed his temple. What he really wanted to do was fly back to that planet and finish what he started. His bloodlust was almost making him physically sick at this point, the short fight he had on Actinidia not being nearly enough to satisfy him. Whether Vegeta liked it or not, Frieza really did have control over the growth of his power. He was completely hindered by his circumstances, and if he tried to do away with them, he'd be killed before he even knew it.

It was in this moment of frustration that he wished he had a home he could retreat to in order to calm down.

Raditz decided to break the tense silence with a question. "How often will we be getting assignments?"

Vegeta ignored him, so Nappa replied. "It depends, really. There's planets all over the universe but there are even more soldiers here. We _should_ be getting some pretty top shelf worlds, but as you can tell, that ain't happening any time soon."

"It's to keep me from becoming a threat," Vegeta interrupted. "He's scared of me, I know it!"

"Vegeta," Nappa groaned. "You heard what Frieza said before." Nappa looked at his scouter out of the corner of his eye and thanked every God in the sky it wasn't activated at the moment.

"It's not like I'm lying," Vegeta mumbled. His mind trailed off to fantasies he'd already played hundreds of times in the past year. It was him as an adult, finally ascending to the Legendary Super Saiyan transformation, and blindsiding Frieza before crushing him beneath his feet. He could picture Frieza's face so vividly, those creepy eyes nearly bulging out of his face in utter helplessness, his disgusting, purple lips parted to release his shrill shrieks of terror. For once, his voice was music to his ears. Unconsciously, he smirked.

He knew it would happen one day, no matter how long it took.

* * *

A day later, Vegeta stood in a long line, the tension rising within him the longer he stood. Nappa and Raditz were among another set of warriors who were sitting down against the wall to Vegeta's left. The number of seated warriors grew as the number on line fell.

It was the weekly power level evaluation on Planet Frieza #26, better known as the Home Base. Vegeta knew he was stronger than the vast majority of the fools surrounding him, but that didn't change how eager he was to see what his own level was in order to gauge his progress. His tail was coiling and uncoling behind him, underscoring his restless feeling.

Vegeta's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of laughter from the warrior behind him. He was a short man with slimy, green skin and eyes as red as blood, with his white pupils serving to only make his appearance more bizarre. He had a set of black hair that looked like mop on top of his head.

"Aww, is the poor little monkey prince scared he won't make the cut?" he mocked. Vegeta threateningly bore his teeth at him, drawing more laughs.

"I sure hope so. That meteor did God's work by getting rid of you all. Might as well kill off the last fe-"

Vegeta cut him off by nonchalantly punching him in the face with the back of his fist, knocking him all the way to the end of the hall. The tall warrior standing behind him laughed and moved ahead to take his place. Vegeta tightly wrapped his tail around his waist and folded his arms across his chest, tapping one of his fingers against his waist while he impatiently waited for his turn.

Zarbon, who was at the front and facing the soldiers, peered his head to the side to see what all of the commotion was about. He glared when he saw Vegeta standing, knowing he was responsible for it. For any other warrior, that type of behavior would be quickly reprimanded in this specific setting, but Frieza explicitly informed Zarbon not to discipline Vegeta for his outbursts as long as they weren't severe. He couldn't figure out for the life of him why Frieza gave the boy so many concessions.

Minutes later, it was Vegeta's turn. Zarbon couldn't hide the disgust in his features as he stood across from him and the feeling was mutual on Vegeta's end. He was standing behind a small desk with a silver computer sitting on top of it that had the names of every soldier on the base listed on the screen. He pushed the button on the side of his scouter to scan Vegeta's power level.

"6,350," Zarbon stated. He typed the number next to Vegeta's name on the computer. "Next."

Vegeta grunted, walked to the wall to the left, and took a seat. It was a good power level, but barely improved from the last one. It was unacceptable and if he stagnated just a little bit he'd start to lag behind. After a few more soldiers were scanned, Zarbon sorted through a few things on the computer. Then, he turned to stand in front of all of the seated soldiers.

"Anyone whose power level is below 1,000, get up," he commanded. Eight warriors stood up, and Zarbon growled in response. "That's not everyone. I know who you are, and if I have to search for you later you're going to be in for a great deal of misery."

Ten more fighters stood up, and Raditz was among them. Vegeta snorted in disgust, as did Nappa. There was no place for such a low-class fighter. Raditz could feel the embarrassed eyes of Nappa and Vegeta on him as he gathered with the soldiers.

"Step outside," Zarbon ordered. He watched the fighters walk ahead of him and yanked Raditz by his arm. "Not you, monkey." Raditz was shocked, but he couldn't hide his relief. He nodded and walked back to the wall to take a seat. It made Zarbon sick to do it but it was another order from Frieza. Zarbon followed the men outside while the rest of the soldiers stood up and went about their usual business. Some were wiping sweat from their foreheads, relieved to have made it above the threshold.

Vegeta looked at the doors, which Zarbon slammed shut. Just seconds later, the sounds of muffled screaming resonated from behind it, making the soldiers who passed by cringe. It was the sickening sound of seventeen unlucky fighters receiving the fatal punishment for weakness.

Vegeta stepped in front of Raditz, who had to turn his head away from the weight of the harsh scrutiny in the prince's gaze. "What a joke. How can you call yourself a Saiyan when you can't even meet the minimum power requirement?"

"You _should_ be out there with the rest of them," Nappa added.

Raditz offered no response, instead hanging his head in shame. _It's not my fault I was born in a low-class family,_ he lamented. On top of that, he had been stuck on a meager frontier planet for the last couple of years that offered him no room to grow. It was tough for him to live up to the lofty standards of the Saiyan race.

"We're going to the training quarters to whip you into shape," Vegeta said to Raditz. "Nappa, lead the way."

Nappa nodded and walked ahead, Raditz meekly following him. Vegeta folded his arms and walked closely behind them. As he walked down the hallway, one of the medical rooms caught his eye. He stopped and squinted through the doorway, where he could see a familiar red figure submerged in the blue liquid of one of the rejuvenation chambers.

"You two keep going," Vegeta absent-mindedly directed as he stepped into the room. He stood in front of the large tank and observed Jeice, who was floating by the breathing mask covering his mouth. His body was a mess, covered head to toe with bruises and cuts. His left shoulder was hanging treacherously at his side.

_It should be me in there_, Vegeta enviously said to himself. Though Jeice lacked the ability to receive a boost in power after recovering from severe injuries like the Saiyans did, a tough battle still went a long way towards improving his strength and giving him experience.

"Oh, didn't see you there, Vegeta," said a short, brown alien wearing a long robe. He was one of the doctors on Frieza's base, and he had been checking on Jeice. He stood next to Vegeta and observed the recovering fighter. "I heard he was in a tough fight. His opponent had him on the ropes but he was able to steal the victory with his Fire Crusher Ball. The kid's resourceful."

"Hn." Vegeta was jealous; even if it took him resorting to the hideous Great Ape transformation, enduring and winning an intense fight was going to be his primary tool towards building the strength he needed to overthrow Frieza, and he'd been denied it far too frequently. Vegeta stared at Jeice for a few more seconds before leaving the room.

When Vegeta arrived into training room, Nappa and Raditz were already there, only wearing their trunks and boots. "Where did you wander off to?" Nappa asked.

"None of your business," Vegeta replied. He cracked his neck a few times before turning his attention to Raditz. "It doesn't bear repeating, but the three of us are the last remaining Saiyans. We have targets on our back like nobody else around here, both figuratively," he smirked and looked at his tail as he unwrapped it from his waist, "And literally. Whether we like it or not, we represent the entire race now."

Vegeta's neutral expression was always stern and cold, but it became nastier when he looked at Raditz. "Which is why we can't have you being so damn weak, Raditz. I don't know why Zarbon let you live and frankly, I don't care, but as long as you're under my watch, your futility will never be acceptable. Understood?"

"Yes, Prince Vegeta. And I'll do everything in my power to get stronger," Raditz stated. Vegeta smirked; the guy may have been weak, but the clear determination in his eyes was at least respectable.

"Good," Vegeta replied. He walked over to a pit in the far right corner of the room. The pit was filled with brown soil and looked like it hadn't been touched in days. Next to it was a tall shelf filled with supplies and jars. Vegeta floated up to the top and grabbed two cans. He opened one of them, poured a few seeds into his hand and buried them into the soil. After thoroughly covering the seeds up, he poured a green substance onto the mixture. Soon, three short monsters sprouted out from the dirt. Vegeta gave a satisfactory nod, as their peculiar red color indicated that these were the lower level Saibamen as opposed to typical green creatures.

The creatures jumped out of the pit and restlessly stood around, waiting for their directions. "You three! Your target is the long-haired fighter over there," Vegeta ordered, pointing at Raditz, who nervously jerked back. The cultivated monsters grinned and dove at the boy, who flew back.

Vegeta and Nappa stood against the wall and observed as the low-class Saiyan attempted to combat the three monsters. They had him on the ropes, besting his every move and unleashing vicious sets of attacks. It was all Raditz could do just to stand up. Eventually, Vegeta got fed up and fired a blast that blew all of them away.

"Unbelievable! Can't even beat the lowest level Saibamen we have," Vegeta sneered. "You were lucky you were so weak that they sent you off to a lowly planet and saved you from certain death."

Raditz coughed harshly on the ground and rubbed a few bruises on arms and legs. Vegeta and Nappa both fired blasts, making Raditz scream in fear. He thought they were going to the job Zarbon chose not to. He braced himself, accepting his fate and waiting for the blasts to hit him.

However, they flew past him and instead vaporized two of the Saibamen. And then Vegeta flew up to the last one and kicked its head right off of its shoulders, unleashing his own share of frustration. He rested his foot on the decapitated head and turned to Raditz.

"Well, it looks like I was wrong about you. You're even more pathetic than I thought," Vegeta deadpanned. "I won't allow one of our people to be so weak, so from now on, if you're not eating, sleeping, or purging, you will be training with either me or Nappa."

Raditz struggled back to his feet. "Y-yes, Vegeta."

"Good. Hey, maybe someday you'll be able to give a regular Saibaman the battle of his life!" Nappa barked out. He and Vegeta burst out into loud laughter while Raditz clenched his fists tightly at his sides, vowing to one day prove them wrong.

Nappa easily slipped his armor back on. "We're getting some grub, kid," he said from over his shoulder, heading for the door with Vegeta. "Clean yourself up and join us if ya want." Nappa slammed the door shut and left.

"The kid's hopeless," Nappa remarked in the hallway.

"You're telling me," Vegeta replied. "Might as well have somebody to take care of the vermin on our missions, though."

"Then again, I hear his father, who was a low-class fighter himself, was getting pretty damn powerful. Who knows, maybe if he gets some experience he could be useful."

"Perhaps," Vegeta muttered. Raditz's father, Bardock, had definitely left a strong impression on Vegeta. Though the man was a low-class fighter, he had an unbelievable threshold for pain and he & his crew were taking on and conquering missions that even Frieza's elite soldiers were shying away from. But Raditz didn't seem to show any of his tenacity.

While they were walking down the hall, a familiar face emerged from the medical room. Jeice was healed of his injuries and in a new set of armor, and he turned to face the two Saiyans. "Bet you guys wish ya had the planet I just got back from."

"It looks like they put you through the ringer," Vegeta said with a smirk.

"A little bit, but I crushed 'em," Jeice boasted. "I even picked up a few new tricks. So did you ask Frieza about a fight?"

"I did and he laughed it off. He said a growing boy needs rest," Vegeta resentfully answered, choosing his words carefully in case Frieza was eavesdropping over the scouters.

"Ah well," Jeice shrugged. "When I got back here Frieza said he had some announcement comin' up, so who knows? It might help ya or somethin'."

Vegeta was suddenly very interested. "What kind of announce-" As if on cue, the voice of Zarbon came up on his scouter. And not just his, but Nappa and Jeice's as well.

"All soldiers on Planet Frieza #26, report to the assembly hall by 1800 hours," Zarbon announced.

"Guess that's it," Jeice said with a smirk. He headed over to the hall and Nappa and Vegeta followed. Raditz soon came bursting from the training quarters and quickly caught up to them. The group made their way to a set of large doors that were already opened, leading into an enormous room. It was a marvel in design, with neat pillars lining up against the walls, a lengthy pathway, a large stage at the far end of the room, and a bright light illuminating everyone and putting the colors on display.

There were hundreds of soldiers gathered in the room, and Jeice, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz chose to stand in the back. Many of the nearby fighters were speculating on what the announcement was. Frieza had a flare for the dramatics, oftentimes organizing these large assemblies just to announce something as frivolous as a fashionable new brand of armor.

A blaring horn suddenly went off, instantly silencing every warrior in the room. Zarbon and Dodoria walked to the front of the stage, both of their eyes narrowed. A few soldiers scurried their way into the room and were promptly vaporized by lethal energy blasts that the two men fired.

"All men raise your right hand in salutation of Lord Frieza!" Dodoria commanded.

Vegeta growled, but did just as ordered. Saiyans weren't meant to follow rules from anybody other than their fellow warriors. More reason for him to overthrow these guys. Frieza floated to center stage, sporting an apprehensive look on his face, which was unusual for him. Vegeta and the other warriors' faces went pale, as this certainly spelled trouble.

Frieza dramatically sighed and pushed a button while mumbling curses in some alien language. On the button's command, a giant screen pulled itself down from the ceiling and flickered itself on. The screen was displaying a white and yellow logo that was shaped like a "V".

Rows and rows of warriors, including Vegeta, were left rolling their eyes. _Now_ they knew why Frieza looked so annoyed. That symbol only meant one thing….

Blaring over the speakers was the sound of a dramatic rock song while the video screen flashed a variety of color in different patterns. Then, a loud, powerful voice boomed:

"**GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! **_**GINYU FORCE RULES!"**_

As the song raged on, a gargantuan warrior who resembled a human with red hair that made his head look like a pineapple dropped in from the ceiling. He crouched down on one knee and raised his arms diagonally out to the left.

"I AM RECOOME!"

Then, at speeds faster than any of the soldiers could comprehend, another warrior dropped onto the opposite end of the stage. He was tall, with scaly blue skin and eyes that were completely pink. He did the same pose as Recoome, only with his arms angled to the right.

"I'M BURTER!"

Another warrior joined them from the ceiling, and this one was considerably less impressive than the other ones. Vegeta giggled when he arrived. This warrior was short, green, and rather unsightly, sporting an extra set of eyes on both sides of his head. He crouched down and raised both of his hands above his head.

"GULDO!"

And finally, another fighter joined them. He was a veiny, purple man with spikes protruding from his head, and he landed in the middle and had his back turned to the audience. Then, he bent down and impressively stretched his torso so that his face could be seen peeking from between his legs. He flashed both of his hands in front of his head.

"And I'm…**CAPTAIN GINYU**!"

The four fighters than conducted a series of synchronized poses, individually shouting:

"GET!"

"READY!"

"FOR THE!"

"**GINYU FORCE!"**

They then engaged in one group pose, prideful smirks plastered across each other's faces. The rest of the room was left in stunned [awkward] silence, with no idea of what to make of the performance. Even Frieza looked bewildered – his normally pale, pink skin was nearly purple.

Captain Ginyu stood up and menacingly cleared his throat, which resulted in the entire audience of soldiers clapping their hands in applause to stay on his good side. The four elite warriors gracefully bowed and pretended to modestly accept the appraisals.

When the clapping died down, Vegeta cocked his eyebrow in confusion, and judging from the looks of some of the soldiers nearby, his sentiments were shared. Perhaps it was because he was so young at the time that his memory was hazy, but he could have sworn that Captain Ginyu looked completely different when he last saw him. The purple man before him was mysteriously, but judging from the power level his scouter was giving off, he was unmistakably powerful enough to be the leader of Frieza's elite fighting squadron.

"Thank you, thank you, you're too kind!" Captain Ginyu said. "Now, we have gathered you all here for a very important reason." The Captain's facial features softened, as he looked at the ground with deep regret, though to Vegeta's eyes it was phony theatrics. "As you can probably tell, there's only four of us, and that's…because…"

Captain Ginyu forced his eyes shut and winced as if he was in physical pain. "Oh God, I can't…!"

Burter rushed to Captain Ginyu's side and encouragingly patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Captain, it was hard for all of us, you can do it." The audience was confused yet again, and Frieza had his face buried deep in his palm.

"Thanks, Burter," Captain Ginyu replied. He lifted his head back up to face the audience. "Y'see, our fifth member, Custard, was met with an unfortunate accident. He lost his leg while we were in combat!"

"It was pretty bad, I almost got sick 'til I realized I had some food when I got hungry," Recoome somberly added.

"Even I nearly shed tears when I had to execute him," Captain Ginyu sighed, staring into the ceiling. "It was like putting down a dog that you'd owned since it was a pup; finishing a book you spent half of your life reading; CANCELLING UNIVERSAL CYCLES OF OUR LIVES IN ITS FIFTEENTH SEASON! It didn't even have a final episode!"

Recoome was rubbing his eyes with a handkerchief while Guldo and Burter consoled him. Captain Ginyu got a hold of himself and instantly regained his dignified posture and confident stride. "But I digress. Since we are now missing a member, which among other things completely throws off our dance routine, we have come here to recruit a new member!"

Vegeta's eyes lit up, nearly salivating at this tremendous opportunity. The Ginyu Force was considered the strongest band of fighters in the universe, the top ranking soldiers in Frieza's army. They took on the most dangerous planets Frieza assigned, which meant Vegeta would have to opportunity to chase power beyond his wildest dreams.

"We're looking for warriors who can live up to our _rigid_ standards. They must excel in the five pillars of…well, uh…excellence! Strength, speed, tenacity, intelligence, and most importantly…" Captain Ginyu lifted one hand into the air, crossed the other across his chest, and lifted his knee. "STYLE! Any brave soul who thinks he has what it takes to be part of the roughest, toughest, and meanest squadron across the galaxy can step right up and speak to yours truly after this assembly! I'm sure there will be a lot of you, so please…try to be organized."

Vegeta and Jeice exchanged glances at each other, sharing competitive smirks.

This was _exactly _what Vegeta was waiting for.

* * *

**So I was reading through the manga looking for anything that I could use to make the most believable story I could, and I realized how different Frieza's portrayal is in the manga as opposed to the anime, even accounting for the Funi dub. Toei kinda stripped away Frieza's subtlety, and I realized stuff like the uber-Galactic racism and being unable to go 5 seconds without saying "IMPUDENT MONKEYS" was mostly anime fabrication. Frieza mainly seemed to anger Vegeta with his snide condescension and condoning the more aggressive insults and mockery from Zarbon and the others. So basically, I'm just trying to make the most accurate portrayal I can.**


End file.
